Being a campus counselor brings pride, joy

I've heard that if a dorm's resident adviser is like your mom or dad, then an orientation counselor, or OC, is like your crazy aunt or uncle. It's completely true.

I knew I wanted to be an OC when I was on campus and heard all of my OCs cheering and dancing and jumping up and down.

I'm sure there were students who thought, "Omg, like, those kids are, like, wayyyy too excited," but I thought they were great.

I applied, and when I found out I was going to get to be an OC for the Class of 2011, I went nuts. I arrived on campus almost a week before orientation to go through OC training. I met a ton of my fellow OCs.

We'd randomly break out into cheers and dances, and I remember playing a game of tag or two.

Being an OC means being ridiculous (while still being responsible, of course), and it was turning out to be everything I'd hoped it would be ... and the first-years hadn't even come yet!

Every first-year housing area has two OCs per floor, and I was assigned to the second-floor guys in New House, my old dorm.

It was bittersweet going to New House for the first time as a sophomore, and not only because I missed the air conditioning, which I don't have in my new dorm. I also missed the memories.

But there I was, wearing our house color (green) with "OC" printed in huge letters on my back with my nickname "Goody Bag" written above it. I was so delighted that more people would be able to have the experiences I did.

When Sunday came and all of the first-years arrived, I was genuinely thrilled. As I met first-years who lived in New House, I squealed with excitement and probably scared some of them silly. That night, my co-OC and I had our floor meeting with our residents and our RA. It was great to meet everyone and slowly get to know them.

I didn't care what they thought of me, I was just my wacky and crazy self, no matter what. I think the fact I was able to do that made them comfortable and able to trust me, which is important because I was one of the people helping them get used to campus and to Pittsburgh during the week of orientation.

At the end of the week, there's an event called House Wars, where all of the first-year residents battle one another. I showed up to the floor completely decked out in green clothes, make-up and knee socks.

I think my enthusiasm was catching, because not long after, many of the guys got ready for House Wars as well, ripping their shirts, painting their faces and arms, and wearing green bandanas.

As part of the green team, we OCs taught our residents the cheers that some of us knew from living in New House the year before, and it felt like passing the torch in some way.

Now, whenever I see my residents on campus, I always say hello or wave. I was a part of one of the most unique experiences they will ever have on campus, and that's something really important to me. Also, it felt really great that some of my residents have asked me how to be an OC.

There are only so many times in life when I'll get to jump around like a kid and be crazy all day long, and I'm going to take advantage of those opportunities while they last.

Elyssa Goodman is a student at Carnegie Mellon University and a graduate of Sagemont Upper School.